In carton filling machines of the type to which the invention pertains, premanufactured blanks are brought to a rotation station by means of a delivery belt. In the rotation station, the blanks are turned 90.degree. relative to their previous direction of delivery so that they are delivered to the backup station laterally. In the backup station, the blanks are transported further in the original direction of delivery until they reach the imbrication station.
A backup station is provided so as to make possible the continuous operation of the delivery belt even if at the end of the machine the carton serving as the transport container must be shifted or exchanged for a new carton after it has been filled. For this purpose, when the imbrication station is not operating, the blanks in the backup station can be stacked or imbricated in a more nearly upright position and can be backed up thereby. Accordingly, the conveyor belt in the backup station must have a speed such that the blanks arriving from the rotation station can be continuously removed.
Continuous running of the conveyor belt in the backup station results in constant friction on the lower edges of the upright, backed-up blanks as a result of the pressure of the belt which continuously attempts to transport the blanks. This may lead to damage to the lower edges and to bending and improper shifting of the entire backed-up packet of blanks.